New community garden is multifaceted resource

Sunday

Jul 1, 2012 at 9:45 PM

A little less than two years ago, a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant provided the seed money for a network of community and school gardens across Athens-Clarke County.

Late last week, the Athens Land Trust, the Community Garden Network and the farmers of the West Broad Market Garden welcomed the community to a celebration of the first harvest from the West Broad Market Garden, at the site of the old West Broad Street Elementary School. The half-acre urban farm, using intensive small-plot gardening techniques, will provide organically grown produce to low-income members of the community.

Last Thursday, residents of the surrounding neighborhood braved the summer heat to converge on the old playground that now hosts the garden to show it to Athens-Clarke Mayor Nancy Denson, Athens native and former state labor commissioner Michael Thurmond, Clarke County Schools Superintendent Phil Lanoue, Rashid Nuri, director of Truly Living Well Urban Farms in Atlanta, and a number of other guests.

Thurmond, a local history expert, said the garden "re-energizes and fulfills the historical mission of this school, and particularly this land, where Samuel L. Harris established a community garden and taught agricultural skills to the residents of this community in the early part of the 20th century."

Thurmond went on to say that the "practical aspect of helping people to help themselves and providing a nutritious and healthy diet is a win-win-win scenario. I want to compliment Athens Land Trust and the community for coming together to bring this (garden) to fruition."

During the celebration, guests got to sample grilled vegetables harvested from the garden, along with refreshments provided by Earth Fare and the Daily Groceries Co-Op. Cooking demonstrations were given by the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and P.L.A.C.E., Promoting Local Agriculture and Cultural Experiences.

University of Georgia County Extension experts were on hand to answer gardening questions and to distribute seeds.

While community gardens generally are used by residents or nonprofit organizations to feed themselves or clients, the West Broad Market Garden also will focus on educating the community about nutrition and eating healthy.

The garden can generate income opportunities for residents in the area by allowing people to work in the garden to grow food that then will be sold by the Athens Land Trust, which will split the profits among the farmers, said Heather Benham, director of operations for the trust.

The garden was tilled first in March, after the project got the go-ahead from the Clarke County School District. The UGA horticulture department helped with soil preparation, seeds and starter plants, and Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful allowed people to borrow garden tools through its tool shed program.

"It's been a big help to get (the garden) to a place where farmers can grow," Benham said.

Additional partners in the effort are the Athens-Clarke County Extension Office, the Athens Community Council on Aging, P.L.A.C.E. and the Athens Area Community Foundation.

"What's so impressive about this afternoon is not the garden, not the food, but that it's brought Athens together," Thurmond said during Thursday's event. "All races, colors, creeds and genders have come here today, and it shows you that when we work together, we can transform barren land into prosperous land."

"This project, as you see it today, is a seed in itself," Lanoue added. "We are beginning some aggressive initiatives to look at a farm-to-table program across our district. ... I couldn't be more proud to be a part of it and more proud to be part of our county."

In addition to having the garden, community residents are excited about being on the site of the elementary school they attended.

"Many of the older residents were excited to be back on the playground where they grew up playing. There are a lot of memories tied to this site," Benham said. "The neighborhood is really excited about this. This site is very important to the idea that our entire community should have access to fresh, healthy produce. The West Broad School is an important resource for the community, and this is a great opportunity to bring life back to the old schoolyard in a way that serves the surrounding neighborhood."

"The vision that the people in the land trust and that everyone involved had was that this could be a community garden," Denson said. "The seeds being planted here are not just food - it's friendship, it's appreciation of our community, and it's planting seeds for the vision for what the rest of this facility can be."

The goals of the program are to build long-term economic self-reliance and food security among participants and the community, to expand access to high-quality, culturally appropriate foods in underserved areas, to serve as an incubator for urban farmers and to train low-income families in the production of fruits and vegetables.

The summer work schedule for the garden is from 7 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday. The produce stand is scheduled to be open from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

For more information about the garden, or to participate, contact community garden organizer Fenwick Broyard at (706) 613-0122 or by email at fenwick@athenslandtrust.org.

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